Have you ever been to Kiddieland? If not, you should go. It’s a dying breed of amusement park. The food, the arcade, even the restrooms indicate that the folks in charge never forgot what it felt like to be a kid—a little kid. It’s designed entirely for them to run around, have fun, and let loose, which in turn allows parents the same luxury.

Kiddieland is not trying to sell kids anything. It’s the kind of place the word ‘unadulterated’ was invented for. There are no Power Rangers adventure rides or Buzz Lightyear costumes to buy, even the bottomless cups of soda-pop are free! For that reason alone it feels as if you’ve walked back in time when you enter the park.

Kiddieland has deep roots in Chicagoland. Arthur “Grandpa” Fritz started the operation in 1929 with just 6 ponies, offering inexpensive amusements for kids. Within a few years Kiddieland was born, expanding to include a vintage German carousel, a miniature train ride, the “Little Auto Ride,” and the “Roto Whip.” Many of the park’s rides are near works of art that speed along in perpetual circles, including the 1960s-inspired spaceships, the streamlined aircraft, and the classic lines of the open-wheel race cars.

Over the past 8 decades, the park has replaced Grandpa Fritz’s ponies with scooters and added 30 more rides, including two fast-paced water rides, the “Log Jammer” and the “Pipeline,” for older kids. But the center piece of the park is still “The Little Dipper,” a near-perfect, first-time rollercoaster experience for only the bravest little ones. It was added to the park in the 1950s and is a great example of a traditional wooden rollercoaster. The ride clocks in at just under 60 seconds and provides the right mixture of comfort and terror for the uninitiated.

On May 20, 2009, Kiddieland’s owners, fourth-generation Fritz family members, announced that this would be the park’s final season. Like Comiskey Park, Riverview, Louis Sullivan’s Stock Exchange building, or the “S-curve” on Lake Shore Drive, Kiddieland is a piece of Chicago history that must be experienced to be understood. The Chicago History Museum can (and will) document the park this summer, but I suggest you experience Kiddieland for yourself before it’s history.

> View John Russick’s Kiddieland photos on Flickr
> View everyone’s Kiddieland photos on Flickr
> Learn more about the history of amusement parks in Chicago

Tags: Amusement Park, John Russick, Kiddieland, Multimedia, Vanishing Chicago

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 at 2:12 pm and is filed under History, Multimedia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.